Beef Manicotti |Cooking With Amanda

There are some recipes which are special because they taste amazing, and then there are some recipes which are special because they taste amazing AND they bring back good memories.

The same way grandma's butterhorn cookies can transport you back to feeling like a child at Christmas, these beef manicotti take me back to the night my husband proposed.

He went all out on the romance and decided to impress me by making dinner from scratch along with candlelight, champagne and the whole nine yards. Pasta filled with meat and three kinds of cheese? Yes, the answer is yes!

These beef manicotti are sure to impress anyone you make them for, but they're simple enough to cook for a weeknight family dinner. I've even used this recipe to teach students learning English as a second language since it's a very hands-on dish. Kids also love to help make these!

I rely on jarred marinara sauce to streamline the process. That way all I have to concentrate on is preparing the filling and stuffing the tubes. So much yummy cheese and beefy flavor!

If you use a zip-lock bag to pipe the filling into the pasta, that part goes rather quickly. Simply place the filling into the bag and snip off one of the corners.

Then, squeeze from the top and it's a fuss-free job, plus way less messy than using spoons! To make an even faster dinner reminiscent of this meal, try my Ricotta Pasta with Beef. There's no stuffing involved!

The manicotti will all fit in a 13x9 pan if you tuck them in snuggly. Then we douse the whole thing with sauce and extra cheese. It makes for an ooey, gooey cheesy dinner. If you would like them to look "prettier" (more like the photos), space them out a little more and bake the extras in a square pan.

Now married, my husband and I still make these beef manicotti together. It's a great teamwork dinner and tasty reminder of the love we share.

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Beef Manicotti Recipe

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Ingredients

8 ounces Manicotti, 14 pasta tubes
3-4 cups Marinara Sauce
1 pound Ground Beef
1 large Onion, diced
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
dash of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, optional
1 16 ounce container Ricotta Cheese
3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided, 12 ounces
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook the manicotti according to the package instructions; set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish. Spread 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce in bottom of dish; set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef along with the onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the beef with a potato masher until cooked through and onion is softened. Drain of excess grease and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Add the beef and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer cheese mixture to resealable bag and snip one of the corners. Pipe the filling into the manicotti shells and place in a single layer in prepared baking dish.
Top with remaining sauce (use more if you like it saucy) and remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.